Springs Valley Social Media Policy Part 1

I’ve made a cheat-sheet here. But I’ll discuss main points and add some color commentary.

School Social Media accounts, well, there is a lot of them. See THIS blog post for details on that. But If you, for whatever reason, stopped being employed by the school you need to hand over the social media accounts and passwords. If the social media account you run that is affiliated to the school is hacked, let school officials know immediately, change your password. You should probably screenshot what was there and then delete the post.

Do not be irresponsible with social media. That’s when posting from home or surfing at school. Sometimes, I save articles I’ve read at breakfast to show my class. I’ll pop on FB real quick to get the link, (or to find out what Micki’s special of the day is). I’ll peruse twitter and instagram at lunch to pass the time. The school does not have a YOU CANNOT USE social media policy, so let’s just be smart about it, eh?

Student Wi-Fi access is considered a privilege, not a right. I’m ok with this, but if a student is banned or has their chromebook confiscated, we need an alternative to that person completing an online assignment without making extra work for the teacher. A spare computer or two in the classroom would help with this. Internet access is not the same as Wi-Fi.

The Corporation Technology Plan (CTP) is responsible for providing guidance to students and staff about proper internet behavior and risks. The Tech Dept has more information on this.

We are allowed to use social media to increase awareness of activities and programs and to promote achievements of students and staff. Parents must submit a do not display notice if they do not want their kid’s ID’d online. It’s still good practice to not include names with individual pictures. If you tag them on facebook, I’d see that as ok, because they already have a FB account. But, written parent permission is necessary for a student to be ID’d on the corporation website. I believe we handle this during registration.

Students are allowed to to access social media for ED use, with teacher approval. The Superintendent and Tech director are the administrators responsible for initiating, implementing, and enforcing social media policy.

The School provides Ed Tech so that students can acquire the skills and knowledge to be productive as adults. There is a student code of conduct (Again, i must see into this.) Students who attempt to bypass or disable filters will be subject to discipline.

It is impossible to guarantee students will not see inappropriate stuff on the internet. I’m mean, it’s the internet. But students SHALL be educated about safety and risks! That is clearly outlined, we need to be teaching Digital Citizenship to all levels.

Principals are responsible for providing training so that teachers are knowledgeable about policy. All ed-tech users and parents (if a minor) are required to sign a written agreement for the terms and conditions of the Social Media Policy.

School email must be used for all school related communication, including communication outside of the corporation. At the moment, students can have no correspondence outside of the corporation. I know that caused some problems with college applications and scholarships in the past. Or at least, the kids complained to me about it. Something we need to discuss, I think.

Users Gaining access to wifi.

You may have seen this when you visit a hotel, or another school. A screen pops up and asks you to agree to terms before you can join wifi. We currently don’t have this. According to the Social Media Policy, we must.

Confidentiality.

Have no expectations of confidentiality when using school accounts and devices.

The owner of a device bears all responsibility and assumes all risks of theft, loss, or damage to, or misuse or unauthorized use of the device while on school property.